Mail-marking machine.



G. H. GRAHAM.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.'28, 1914.

mmfifimm Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

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m5 NORRIS PETERS (30.. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, Dy 6 G. H. GRAHAM. MAILMARKING MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED 1.28, 1914.

mmfim Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

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| Q Q A55 WITNESSES: INVENTOR HE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTO-LITHO WASHINGToNv D c FTATFF FATFFT TTFTF,

cnonen rr. GRAHAM,

JERSEY.

OF UPPER MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 UNIVERSAL STAMPING MACHINECOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N.

Y., A CORPORATION OF NEVJ MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed January 28, 1914. Serial No. 814,877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Upper Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail- MarkingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates generally to mailmarking and other similarmachines and particularly to the printing couple of the class ofmachines illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent toGeorge H. Graham, No. 1022191, dated April 2, 1912, having in thepresent instance reference to the impression roller and its connectiveparts.

In mail-matter marking and similar machines required to handle varyingthicknesses of matter, difiiculty has been encountered in providingasuitably mounted spring acting on the impression roller that will exerta substantially even pressure against the passing matter during theprinting operation no matter what its thickness within the range of themachine to feed. Flat and leaf springs and endwise compression coiledsprings have been employed to hold the impression roller to duty andallow it to yield as the thickness of the passing matter may vary, butin such uses the spring largely increases in tension as the thickness ofthe matter increases, thereby placing added duty on the driving motor orother power, adding additional wear on the parts, causing excessivehammering of the parts and slippage or clogging of matter between thefeeding instrumentalities as well as improper marking. Furthermore, asheretofore constructed, the impression roller of such machines, normallyoccupies the same position with respect to the marking die whether themachine be operating continuously on thin matter, such as postal cards,or whether it be operating on com paratively thick matter such as bulkymail. In handling thin matter and ordinary sized mail only slightinjurious efl'ects are noticeable, but when handling a quantity ofthicker mail, the hammer or shock of the returning impression roller andits rebound after the passage of each thick piece of mail, under the oldforms of springs, is injurious to the machine and causes imperfectimpression and delay in feeding.

The present improvements have for their object to overcome theseobjections, to provide a simple and substantial construction whereby theeffective spring pressure, to insure pro er marking, is substantiallyuniform no matter how the thickness of the mail may vary, and to renderthe position of the impression roller with respect to the marking diereadily adjustable and suited to operate on mail in bulk when ofsubstantially the same thickness.

The accompanying drawings illustrate so much of the machine referred to,together with the improved construction, as is mate rial to thedescription to follow; in which drawings:

Figure 1, is a plan view. Fig. 2, is an elevation of the impressionroller, rock-arm and spring. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal Vertical sectionon the line 3, of Fig. 1, showing the impression roller adjusting cam inelevation; and Fig. 4:, is a horizontal section on the line 4, of Fig. 2showing in plan view the means for holding and varying the tension ofthe impression spring.

As in said Patent No. 1022191 (using the same reference numbers forcorresponding parts as therein,) the upper table plate B, supportsbearings for a rockarm 51, carrying a rotating spindle 16 to which isconnected a trip pressure roller 16, which in this in stance is rubbercovered; an opposed rotating spindle 19, carrying trip-feed rollers 17 adie and clutch-feed and intermittently rotated spindle 56, carrying thedie-hub 19, with its usual canceling bars 0, and removable marking-die dwith its change type; a rock-arm 53, supporting a rotated spindle 18,carrying a rubber covered impression roller 18, opposed to the die-huband its die and canceling bars.

The trip pressure roller 16, is held in yielding contact with thetrip-feed rollers 17, by a suitable spring 51 connected to the rock-arm51, to allow varying thicknesses of matter to pass between said tworollers 16 and 17 The mail or other matter is guided toward the bight ofthe trip feed and pressure rollers 17,16, by a suitable guide 9,

mounted on a stud 47, projecting upward from the table plate B; and thissame stud 47, carries a rigid stripper guide 1, extend ing forward inline with the bight of the rollers 16 and 17 toward the die-hub 19.Associated with said trip feed rollers 17, and the guide 1, isthe'trip-finger 2, whichis carried by a spindle.90, that in turn hashearings in one end of the rockar1'n 3, secured at the other end to aspindle 91; all as in said patent and operating as therein described.The die (Z, and canceling bars 0, carried by the die-hub 19, aresuitably inked at each rotation thereof, by an inking felt roller 25,which in this instance is mounted on a pin 26, carried at one end of asupporting arm 65, that is supported by a stud 27, projecting upwardfrom the table plate Of the train of gears needed to properly rotate theseveral rollers described, the spur gear 55, Fig. 2, is only shown. Itis secured to a short spindle 18 mounted in the lower plate A, with auniversal joint connection 44 to rotate the spindle 18 and itsimpression roller 18, and yet permit the roller to yield with respect tothe die hub 19, according as the thickness of the passing matter willrequire.

The operation of the described instrumentalities is such that a letteror other piece of matter moving forward and passing between the rollers17 and 16, meets the end of the trip-finger 2, rocks it forward therebyreleasing the d'ie-hub 19', and allowing it to rotate, so that saidletter or piece in passing between said die-hub and the impressionroller 18 becomes impressed or marked by the canceling bars 0, and die(Z, to be subse quently properly delivered. The trip finger 2, afterbeing rocked" by the letter, yields outwardly slightly in' escaping themoving letter and returns to its normal position ready to meet thesucceeding letter, all as fully described in said patent.

In the present impro ements, the impression roller 18, of the printingcouple, is, as before described, fixed to the spindle 18, that ismounted in a bearing in the outer end 'of the rock-arm 53, which arm, inthis instance forming part of a bell-crank structure, is carried by andrigidlysecured' to a vertical spindle 155-.- This spindle is mounted insuitable bearings in the upper table plate B, and the lower plate A, seeFig. 2. The lower end of this spindle 155, is shouldered in the plate A,and its upper end is preferably engaged by the tapered end of a screwthreaded pivot-stud 156, carried by a plate 157, secured to the topsurface of the table plate B, with a lock-nut 158, engaging the stud tohold it in its adjustment.

On the lower end of the spindle 155, is loosely mounted a toothed diskor ratchet 15.9, which for increased bearing on the spindle and betteralinement is shouldered into the plate A; and the teeth of the ratchetare engaged by a pawl 160, mounted on a stud 161, fixed to said plate. Acoiled spring 54, of suitable size and convolutions, surrounds thespindle 155, between the rockarm 53, and the ratchet 159, with its upperend engaging said rock-arm and its lower end the ratchet; with theresult that said spring 5A, exerts a proper tortional pressure on therock-arm 58, to yieldingly hold the impression roller 18, toward the(lie-hub 19, to cause the passing letter or other n1atter to be properlyimpressed by the canceling bars and die.

lVere it not for the fact that the impression spring 54:, may, afterassembling, need adjustment to increase or diminish its tension, andalso for the fact that its assembly is greatly facilitated when notunder tension, its lower end might enter a hole directly in the plate A;but as these operations are necessary in practice, the interposition ofa tension adjustment such as the ratchet and pawl and thereby theindirect anchoring of the end of the spring, is of considerable utility.

The inward position of the in'ipression roller 18, with respect to thedie and canceling bars is ordinarily limited by a stopscrew 180,threaded into an enlargement of the rock-arm 53, with its end meetingthe side of the upper table plate B, as in Fig. 1 a lock-nut 181, on thestop-screw holding it in its adjustment. This limiting stop-screw, isadjusted so that the thinnest matter, such as postal cards, will beproperly and legibly impressed by the die, and when so ad jusl'cd amiscellaneous assortment of mail, thick and thin, will also be properlyimpressed. The stop-screw 180, is especially useful, first, in theinitial setting of the machine to obtain the proper impression andthereafter to take care of any wear of the impression roller and alsopossibly of the die and canceling bars. lVhen. however, a large quantityof matter, say thicker than postal cards, is to be impressed. it isadvantageous to the life of the machine, in preventing undue hammeringor hitting of the stop-screw against the plate B, on the return of theim pression roller under the tension of the spring each time a thickletter passes, to adjust the impression roller so that it need onlyyield sufficient to allow this quantity of thicker matter to pass andyet be properly impressed. Thus the rock-arm 53, Figs. 1 and 3, has arearwardly extending arm 170, arranged to engage the face of a cam 171,rotatably mounted on a stud 172, projecting from the rear side of theplate B; the stud being fixed by a set screw 173, and the cam held onthe stud by a washer and screw 174, with a handle 175, fast to the camto facilitate'its adjustment. The arm 170, instead of directly bearingagainst the cam is prosinks 178,

vided with a set-screw 176 with its end in contact with the cam and theset-screw fixed against movement by a locking set-screw 177.

The cam 171, instead of being of true snail form has preferably a numberof flat faces f, each of which in the adjustment of the cam will be inposition to be borne upon by the set-screw 17 6, directly in line withthe center of the cam-supporting stud 172, and thus making each face ofthe cam a known quantity and preventing its accidental change oflocation. To obviate any chance of this accidental displacement of thecam, the inner face of its hub is provided with a number ofconcentrically disposed counterarranged to be engaged by a springpressed detent or ball 17 9, mounted in the rear edge of the table plateB.

In operation, when the machine is to operate on a large quantity ofthick mail, the handle 175, is moved in the direction of the arrow Fig.3, to rock the cam 171 around so as to place one or the other of theflat faces f, in contact with the screw-set 176, of the rock-arm 170,thereby moving the impression roller 18, the desired extra distance fromthe die; the set-screw 176, thereby becoming the limiting stop for theimpression roller, while the usual limiting stop 180, is for the timebeing out of duty. When this quantity of thicker mail has beenimpressed, and postal cards and ordinary mixed mail is to be impressed,the handle 175, is moved back to its original position, whereupon thestop 1S0, again becomes active. While the supplemental limiting stop,represented by the set-screw 176, might in itself in meeting the lowestface of the cam 171, be the only stop needed, yet in practice it ispreferred to also employ the usual stop 180.

While there has been described and shown a specific and desirablearrangement of parts, it is obvious that the improvements aresusceptible of such modifications as will occur to those skilled in theart. And in so far as the cam adjustment is concerned other forms ofsprings for yieldingly holding the members of the printing couple toduty may be employed.

4V hat is claimed is:

1. In a printing couple, a suitable rotated printing member, abell-crank one arm whereof carries the impression member and the otherarm an adjustable stop, a step by step rotatable cam arranged to engagesaid adjustable stop to adjust the position of the impression memberwith respect to and limit its movement toward the printing member,

and a spring coiled about the pivot of the bell-crank and engaging oneof its arms whereby the impression member is constantly held underspring tension.

2. A printing couple, a rock-arm supporting one member thereof, asuitable spring engaging said rock-arm, a limiting stop carried by therock-arm, another stop also carried by said rock-arm, and a rotatablecam for engaging said latter stop for limiting the position of the rockarm irrespective of the other stop.

3. A printing couple, the impression member of which is carried by arock-arm having a rearward extension, a suitably mounted spindle towhich the rock-arm is secured, a spring coiled about the spindle toyieldingly hold the impression member toward the other member, a ratchetloosely mounted concentric with the axis of the spindle and an engagingpawl, one end of the spring engaging the rock-arm and the other end theratchet, and a step by step rotatable cam engaging the extension of therock-arm to position and also to limit the position of the impressionmember with respect to the other member against the tension of saidspring.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. H. GRAHAM.

Witnesses EDWARD H. GADUM, J. S. Forums.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

